Use tick or insect repellent on clothing, and use appropriate repellents on skin, as directed.

Perform frequent tick checks on both yourself and your pet after exposure to possible tick environments.

Ticks love to hide in warm, moist places, such as the groin, back of the knees, armpits, the back of the neck, navel and ears. Ticks may be found anywhere on the body, so look carefully.

The nymph is only the size of a pinhead and may be missed during your daily examination. Be sure to check your skin for any bumps that might indicate a tick, especially on the scalp. If a bump is found, do not squeeze or press the bump.

If a tick is attached to your skin, try to get help from an adult who is experienced at proper tick removal. It needs to be removed properly and promptly using fine point tweezers or special tick-removal tweezers as close to the skin as possible and gently pull straight out (the Red Cross tick removal kit is available for purchase through the Red Cross or TimeForLyme.org). DO NOT SQUEEZE THE BELLY OF THE TICK AS IMPROPER REMOVAL INCREASES RISK OF INFECTION.

Generally the longer the tick is attached, the greater likelihood of transmission of disease.

Place tick in a zipper type plastic sealed bag with a blade of grass or moist cotton ball and bring to your local health department for testing, if available in your area. The blade of grass provides moisture to keep the tick alive. Both dead and live ticks may be tested, but live ticks yield quicker test results.